News

1. WHO announces 2019 Southern Hemisphere influenza vaccine recommendations

Twice a year, in February and September, the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza located at the Doherty Institute, combines its surveillance data with the four other Collaborating Centres around the world for the WHO Consultation on the Composition of Influenza Vaccines.

It takes approximately six months to manufacture and distribute influenza vaccine, and therefore decisions about which virus strains should be included in each year’s vaccine need to be made in an appropriate time frame ahead of the influenza season in each of Southern and Northern Hemispheres.

The WHO consultation in September is especially important for the centre at the Doherty Institute, as it is the only WHO Collaborating Centre for Influenza in the Southern Hemisphere, and the samples from the most recent influenza season (which coincides with the winter months here) are particularly important for providing information on the most recently circulating viruses.

2. Increasing visa rejections due to hepatitis B

After media reports of a Chinese father ceasing his hepatitis B medication in a last-ditch bid to keep him and his family in Australia, Doherty Institute researcher Professor Benjamin Cowie spoke to the increasing number of permanent residency visas being rejected by the Department of Home Affairs due to hepatitis B in a recent interview with SBS News.

The government’s immigration health criteria dictates that an applicant for Australian residency must be free from a disease or condition which “would be likely to require health care or community services” that would “result in a significant cost to the Australian community”. Currently, this threshold is set to $40,000. The vast majority of people living with hepatitis B will never need any form of treatment during their lives, however Prof Cowie believes that increasing numbers of people are having their residency rejected purely on the basis of testing positive for hepatitis B.

3.  Researchers discover control mechanism for melanoma skin cancer

Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute) and Telethon Kids Institute researchers scientists discovered how the immune system can control melanoma, a mechanism which could be used to enhance cancer treatments.

Published in Nature, the team investigated the role of a particular immune cell, tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells, in controlling melanoma.

TRM cells were able to control the tumour in the mice for the life of the animal, which is likely to equate to decades of protection in humans.

University of Melbourne Dr Simone Park from the Doherty Institute, created an imaging model to study TRM cells’ and melanoma in a mouse model.

4. ‘Killer’ immune cells provide solution to elusive universal flu vaccine

Researchers from the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute) and Monash University identified immune cells, called killer T cells that can fight all influenza viruses – A, B and C  – creating the potential for the development of a world-first universal, one-shot flu vaccine.

The extraordinary breakthrough made by University of Melbourne PhD student, Marios Koutsakos of the Doherty Institute, was published today in Nature Immunology and is a paradigm-shifting discovery, which could lead to an influenza vaccine that does not need to be updated annually.

Previous research has shown that these killer T cells are present in an immune response to some but not all the influenza viruses – making this discovery a game-changer in the development of a universal vaccine.

“Influenza viruses continuously mutate to evade recognition by our immune system, and they are vastly diverse, making it nearly impossible to predict and vaccinate against the strain that will cause the next influenza pandemic,” Mr Koutsakos said.

“We have identified the parts of the virus that are shared across all flu strains, and sub-strains capable of infecting humans, and then investigated if we could find robust responses to those viral parts in healthy humans, and influenza-infected adults and children.”

University of Melbourne Professor Katherine Kedzierska, study leader and laboratory head at the Doherty Institute, said this was an exciting discovery that clearly revealed killer T cells provide unprecedented immunity across all flu viruses, a key component of a potential universal vaccine.

5. Doherty Institute researchers awarded $13.5 million

Researchers from the Doherty Institute received more than $13.5 million in the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grant round announced in August, including a $2.5 million Centre of Research Excellence to tackle transmissible diseases, seven investigator grants and an NHMRC development grant.

The Centre, Supporting Participatory Evidence generation to Control Transmissible diseases in our Region Using Modelling (SPECTRUM), will be led by University of Melbourne Professor Jodie McVernon who is head of Epidemiology at the Doherty Institute, and will enhance national and regional decision-making to improve the control of infectious disease, strengthen health systems and reduce these risks.

6. Doherty Institute Director, Professor Sharon Lewin appointed an Officer (AO) of the Order of Australia

More than 25 years of a career dedicated to HIV and infectious diseases clinical care, research and advocacy has been recognised in an Australia Day Honour for University of Melbourne Professor Sharon Lewin, Director of the Doherty Institute. She has been appointed an Officer (AO) of the Order of Australia.

The AO is in recognition of her distinguished service to medical research, and to education and clinical care, in the field of infectious diseases, particularly HIV and AIDS.

An infectious diseases physician and basic scientist, Professor Lewin is recognised as one of the world’s most eminent researchers for her extraordinary body of work in the search for a cure for HIV.

She said she was incredibly humbled to be recognised in this way by the Governor-General.

7. New agreement with Pfizer to identify novel targets for cancer therapy

The University of Melbourne at the Doherty Institute entered into an agreement with Pfizer to identify and validate new targets for cancer therapy.

The new agreement will provide support to immunity mechanisms research led by Professor Laura Mackay from the University’s Department of Immunology and Microbiology based at the Doherty Institute.

Professor Mackay said it is increasingly apparent that immune cells are the key to developing better oncology treatments.

“This research project will potentially enable development of therapies to target tissue-resident lymphocytes that are key players for cancer control”, Associate Professor Mackay said.

8. WHO influenza vaccine Northern Hemisphere recommendations

Although the most recent Consultation recommended the vaccine composition for the upcoming Northern Hemisphere influenza season in 2019-2020, The WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza at the Doherty Institute provides data on recently circulating viruses from countries in our geographical region that have influenza cases from September-January each year.

In addition, Australia had an extended influenza season in 2018 and a significant number of “Summer flu” cases in 2018-9 which provided many recent Australian viruses to analyse. Our data are combined with data from with the four other WHO Collaborating Centres for Influenza (all based in the northern hemisphere in Atlanta, Beijing, London and Tokyo), to characterise recently circulating influenza viruses and predict which vaccine candidates will provide the best protection in the upcoming season.

9. Two Doherty Institute researchers named Australian Museum Eureka Prize finalists

Two of Doherty Institute’s researchers have been selected as finalists for the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.The Australian Museum Eureka Prizes are the country’s most comprehensive national science awards, honouring excellence across the areas of research and innovation, leadership, science engagement and school science.

Dr Mark Davies, Laboratory Head at the Doherty Institute is leading the Strep Genomics Team as a finalist in the Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre Eureka Prize for Infectious Diseases Research.

Professor Laura Mackay is a finalist in the Macquarie University Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher.Widely regarded as a leader in the field of immunological memory, Associate Professor Mackay has discovered that a novel population of immune cells called tissue-resident T cells are critical for immune protection against infection and cancer.

10. Doherty Institute researchers awarded $13.6 million by NHMRC

In an incredibly competitive National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grant round, Doherty Institute researchers have secured $13.6 million, including a $5 million Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies Grant to tackle the management of Staphylococcus aureus, more commonly known as golden staph.

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11. Austin Health’s Infectious Diseases Department to join the Doherty Institute

12. Laura Mackay wins Frank Fenner Prize in PM Prize for Science

13. Research highlights complex transmission networks of gonorrhoea in Victoria

14. International research team wins $6M grant to study HIV and tuberculosis co-infection in children

15. Researcher profile: Professor Katherine Kedzierska

16. How do MAIT cells identify and attack foreign invaders?

17. Six Doherty Institute researchers recognised with Dame Kate Campbell Fellowship

18. Over half of antibiotics given after surgery prescribed inappropriately

19. Emerging cases of measles in people who have been vaccinated

20. Doherty Institute to mentor Bhutan health professionals to fight AMR